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Nat (Natalie King)
First Sergeant Natalie King is an Australian Systems Alliance Marine, currently serving as a company sergeant in the 2/50th Mechanized Infantry battalion, on deployment to Avakk III. She has been posting on CDN with varying frequency since shortly before the Reaper War under the username of 'Nat'. 36 years old, she is married with two children. Biography Early Life Born in Melbourne, Australia to Daniel and Mary King, an IT engineer and an ex-Royal Australian Air Force/SAN sailor respectively, the youngest of three children, Nat's childhood was tumultuous. Mary King was captured by the Turian Hierarchy during the First Contact War when Nat was young, an incident that left Mary both traumatized and deeply suspicious of aliens - and with a burgeoning resentment of the Systems Alliance for joining the Citadel, which led to her leaving the military and cut short the Kings' original plan to move their family to a colony. Growing up Nat was naturally athletically gifted, playing both soccer and Australian Rules Football, getting into the youth state team for the latter sport, and while she wasn't exactly stupid, she struggled at school. This was in contrast to both her sister Cristina and her brother Jack, who she was closest to despite their differences. She was quickly captivated by the idea of joining the military, inspired by her family's history in the ADF. Her parents encouraged her to get involved with the cadet program at school, hoping it would prove an outlet, though with the expectation that she would join the Australian Defence Force. However when she graduated from high school it was the Systems Alliance Marine Corps she enlisted into, caught by the idea of space travel, the Marine ethos and getting off Earth. Conflict in the Attican Traverse In 2173, the year Nat enlisted, was the beginning of a period of high tensions between the Batarian Hegemony and the Systems Alliance over disputed territory in the Traverse and Skyllian Verge. After serving a couple of years in a colonial garrison she was transferred to the fleet in time for the Relief of Elysium in '76, her first major battle. After Elysium, she participated in the Theshaca Raids, during which she met Gaia Romoli, an acerbic L2 biotic, who despite their many differences became her (so far) life long best friend. The Raids were during a shift in Alliance tactics after Elysium and Torfan aimed at reducing Marine casualties (and media criticism over said casualties), tactics which Nat was involved in enacting as a Marine assaultman, responsible for deploying explosives and multi-purpose rockets. This period - and the bloodshed she was both witness and perpetrator of - forced her to grow up, stripping her of some of her levity but also of her carelessness. After heavy casualties to her platoon aboard the SSV Tobruk, she was promoted to Corporal, and when the ship's tour of duty ended King volunteered for another tour to bring some much needed experience to their replacements. During the second tour of duty she was awarded a Distinguished Combat Medal, equivalent to a UNAS Bronze Star. It was during her furlough after her second tour that she met Doctor Kaseka Hayeus, an asari neurosurgeon through a friend. They began a casual relationship which would develop into the second great love story in her life. Eden Prime War After a couple of years of peaceful service besides the normal space policing and boarding actions, Natalie was now a sergeant within the Fourth Airmobile, light infantry division utilizing shuttles and thruster packs for aerial insertion, when the Eden Prime War began in 2183. As the division designed to be rapidly deployed, Nat was soon thrust into the fighting. While she wasn't present at the pivotal First Battle of the Citadel, King took part in Search and Destroy missions on six different planets aimed at preventing what Alliance brass believed to be credible thread - that the geth would launch an invasion of Alliance space. During one mission, her platoon's shuttle was shot down and both the platoon leader and platoon sergeant were killed or badly wounded, along with several other Marines. Encircled and with aerial CSAR impossible, King took command of her immobilized platoon and dug in for a long hard fight to hold out until reinforcements from the Eighth Armoured Regiment could rescue them. The rescue mission hit a snag when a geth anti-tank unit prevented the tanks from advancing toward her platoon, so Nat, being the one armed with the multi-purpose launcher, left most of her riflemen and the machine-gunners to defend before flanking the geth AT with what was left of her armoured section. She successfully destroyed the enemy AT position with her launcher but her squad was quickly fired on by a geth armature. Nat was wounded during the engagement, giving her a scar through her eyebrow she still has to this day when her visor broke but her actions allowed the Eighth Armoured to break through to the encircled platoon and extract them. For her actions she was promoted to Staff Sergeant and awarded a Medal of Heroism. Shortly after the battle Nat was informed by her unit chaplain that her father had died in a car crash. She returned to Australia and promptly began organizing his funeral and the family's expenses. Although her sister Christina accused of her being somewhat unaffected, Nat simply found being the one organizing and the one leaned on the best way to cope with his death. The Reaper War After returning to duty in early 2184, Nat found her relationship with Kaseka deepening and that with her mother deteriorating again. She was transferred to the Systems Alliance Eighth Fleet, aboard the SSV Benjamin Davis, ''with the fleet's strategic quick reaction force. She bounced in between platoon and section leader billets but she enjoyed the 1/10th Infantry Battalion a great deal and bonded tightly with many of the Marines. Threads A Message to Citizens of the Alliance: Evacuation: The Fleet starts evacuating a colony when a Reaper force hits. Tempers are lost, orders disobeyed and ships burn. Still Kicking: Nat tells the board that she isn't in fact dead. After You Get Out Alive: The aftermath of their first brush with the Reapers is dealt with by the Marines and crew of the Eighth Fleet. Hell Came At Midday: The Reapers decide that they're not done with the Eighth Fleet and hit them again over Ontarom. Hackett hellstorms, Plans and Last Stands: Things look pretty dire for the Marines on the ground but the Fleet begins to fight back. Emergency Resupply: The Eighth Fleet is resupplied by a very unexpected source. Desperate Times, Desperate Measure: Promotions and haggling over marines ahoy. War Makes Strange Drinking Partners: Nat and Nikolai Aleksanders have a meet-up on the Citadel. Meet and Greet: Nat meets her new platoon leader. It doesn't go well. Unwanted Visitors: The ''Benjamin Davis gets a nasty visit while being repaired. Memories to Run Away From: Nat meets an old friend and some old nicknames and war stories are bandied about. Welcome to the Fleet: The 1/10th get some reinforcements. Trust Issues: Nat and Matthias hash out some issues. Wedding: The big day! The Battle of Veratix Station: The big one. A major assault on Cerberus. Touching Bases: Nat meets with Vohkaidin Knox, who wants to prepare the residents of the Citadel for when the Reapers come calling. Homecoming: The Eighth Fleet goes home. Post-War My Friend, The Ex-Terrorist: A talk with Sarah Thompson. Agincourtless: King meets her new comrades on Eden Prime. Bloody Sunday: Tensions begin to rise on Eden Prime. PM Exchange With Sandman: The obligatory "glad you're alive, how are you" exchange, with Nikolai Aleksanders. Slaver Crush: Nat enters a thread against Aleksanders' advice, and learns that a resident batarian slaver has the hots for her. PM exchanges follow. Red Monstrosity: Nat gets a sea monster named after her, thanks to Aleksanders. An Awkward Sexual Matter: CDN is NSFW, we find. Let's Get FUBAR'd: Sarah Thompson and her partner Paul travel to Eden Prime to meet with Nat. Confrontational: Still around, Sarah tries to help Nat, who she insists needs a therapist. Hope: Spotlight on Nat's family, coping with life. Liria is arrested: Having come to Eden Prime (in spite of Nat's explicitly saying that she would arrest her if she did), deserter Liria T'Remi is apprehended by Nat; she goes quietly. Nat posts her account of the arrest; and the details reach CDN officially. The Other Half: Titus meets with Nat and family on Zakera Ward. Systems Alliance-Vies War of 2190: * Marching Orders: The Alliance masses its forces ready to head to the Caleston Rift. * Please Donate: A contrite Liria wants to raise money for Nat to have a cloned replacement arm - but should she bother, since Nat (the trolls gleefully insist) is going to die in a war now, and it's all Mekan's fault! * The Giant's Fist * Legacy: While she's on deployment, Titus has surgery. He's fine, but getting philosophical he asks after people's legacies. Nat responds, but Liria, Mekan and Dano (who all should be a bit sheepish around about now) make it awkward and headache-inducing. * Life on the Front * Behaviour Unobserved: A new year, and Nat's still on Avakk III. Not Sure How To Feel About This: Nat's niece, who she has care of, has called her "mum" -- Nat asks CDN how she should take this. A Reconnection: Nat reacquaints with Mike Tritt. A Little House-Warming: After her return following an absence of several years, Arina Caenis invites Nat and Temria Aujury over, so they can get reacquainted. I'm Going To Be A 'Father' Again: The second child is on the way (remembering that Nat's spouse is asari). Dulce Et Decorum Est: * Very Mysterious Paperwork: Something's up in the Alliance. * Uncomfortable Acquaintances: Nat contacts Cerastes. * The Homefront: Nat, Zor and Titus make their move. * A Younger Man's Clothes, chapter five: Crossover, of sorts, with an arc centred on SlowAndSteady (Xuumo-kalashasi). * Meet N Greet: Nat is off again, once more leaving her (growing) family behind. * Twenty Years: It's had its ups and downs, but Nat has been with the marines for two decades now. * Training Operations No Need For Titles: Nat and Mike Tritt have another of their periodic catch-ups. Outcast Redemption: Nat also catches up with Muckracker (Helena Mathioudakis), and the two families mingle. Category:Humans Category:Characters